Manalink 3.0 multiplayers setup and test

[Aswan jaguar]

Setup for playing ML3 in multiplayers by Stassy:

Well, here is my current setup for testing multiplayers :

- LAN network with modem router dispatching internet connection through it (around 5 computers are connected, 2 are used for testing, all of them have default internet connection settings for web browser, all have fixed IP such as 192.168.0.xxx)

- One computer is the host and I use Teamviewer to control through LAN another computer which will join the host

- Both computers have the same magic folder updated to 10.4 V2, both has registry settings as follow in order to activate the Manalink gem and multiplayer:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse\Magic: The Gathering]
"Manalink"="yes"]

- Everything in config.txt is deactivated

- Hoster make the following : right click on gem > Preference > deactivate Autoconnect (in case I switch hoster)
right click on gem > Open > select Connection type : Internet (TCP/IP) > Connect > Host
A window pop with the list of player

- Client make the following : right click on gem > Open > select Connection type : Internet (TCP/IP) > Connect > Join > Ip of the hoster > join
A window pop with the list of player

- Hoster make the following : in the list of player, select the player > Invite
A window pop waiting for Client acknowledgment.

- Client make the following : in the list of player, double click the line in the chat box below the player list

Hoster invites you to a duel

> Accept

- Hoster make the following : Main menu > Duel > Duel Opponent > deck selection > Match Parameters
No Ante
Freeplay
Minimum deck size : 40
Unrestricted
> Send Parameters

- Client make the following : Duel > Duel Opponent > deck selection
2 buttons should pop : Agree or Disagree Parameters
> Accept

The game should begin and each player need to validate the game or mulligan in order to start playing every turn

Notes:
- As internet connection is a shared type and not a direct modem to computer I don't have your bug
- Sometimes after a game, trying to continue and play again will make the game send pack error and game will crash, so it's better to quit the game and start another
- A lot of cards make the connection crash, most of them are past ML2.0

Can any of you guys that has multiplayer working tell me which is the last Manalink2 patch that multiplayer is working for you right now.

edit:Thanks Stassy for this guide.

[stassy]

After digging a bit in the archives there is a statement of Salbei that state that it should work for latest but with many config.txt option disabled.

As I had myself tried with no avail on 3.0 vanilla, I forgot that I was to test with this file, will try to do it and report before leaving to Tamiyo land.

[stassy]

Wow, this is unexpected but I was able to start a LAN duel and play a few turns, unfortunately one of my computer had a random deck and I ended up crashing because I had a heavy RuleEngine card.

Will try again with Vanilla deck but I can already confirm that you can start a duel with latest version (ML3 10.4 V2) if you deactivate everything in config.txt, meaning no RuleEngine cards (which was the current status quo in the ML2 version).

Previously I had tried to play vanilla deck (or even full basic land deck) for testing but I was getting stuck at the beginning like others mentioned, but deactivating RuleEngine beforehand was the "solution".

Edit: Just tested with Armies of Light type1 deck mirror duel and was successful in playing a full round.
Also tested with RuleEngine 1 in config.txt and was still able to run an AoL mirror so I guess the culprit for the starting duel bug was the debug mode which is obvious if you think about cheating in multiplayers (though you can still use the debug mode in AI duel even if connected with another computer in the Manalink system)

Edit2: Tested with non RuleEngine new cards jsoldiers deck mirror and fully played a round, nice to see that new vanilla coded cards are working.

Edit3: Ahh the joy ended up fast, tried T1 Abyss mirror, started up nicely but ended up in a multiplayer packet error, so it's card dependent seems to be as this deck is RuleEngine-less

[Aswan jaguar]

I managed last night to play couple of turns with old originally made decks with Manalink 3.0 (I beat you on that Stassy )(you beat me on posting the news first )after deactivating everything but rules engine in config.txt but got crashes each time.But it shouldn't happen with those decks right?unless some of the cards in them have been recoded in C and that causes the crashes.

edit- Stassy everytime I connect with Manalink gem it messes up my internet settings and I can't open any page until I restart my router does it happen to you,too?

[stassy]

Which internet settings? Damn so few time before departure and something worth investigating pop up.

[Aswan jaguar]

Shall we move this to bug forum or development one?
I have another problem I can only see opponents lands but not other permanent even with Rules Engine off and lots of crashes.
For internet settings if I connect and then disconnect from Manalink my web browser (both Firefox and Google chrome)doesn't open any pages saying that they don't respond or something like that.

[stassy]

Moved and merged post about it, will talk about functional or nonfunctional cards in LAN game.

Well, here is my current setup for testing multiplayer :

- LAN network with modem router dispatching internet connection through it (around 5 computers are connected, 2 are used for testing, all of them have default internet connection settings for web browser, all have fixed IP such as 192.168.0.xxx)

- One computer is the host and I use Teamviewer to control through LAN another computer which will join the host

- Both computers have the same magic folder updated to 10.4 V2, both has registry settings as follow in order to activate the Manalink gem and multiplayer:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse\Magic: The Gathering]
"Manalink"="yes"]

- Everything in config.txt is deactivated

- Hoster make the following : right click on gem > Preference > deactivate Autoconnect (in case I switch hoster)
right click on gem > Open > select Connection type : Internet (TCP/IP) > Connect > Host
A window pop with the list of player

- Client make the following : right click on gem > Open > select Connection type : Internet (TCP/IP) > Connect > Join > Ip of the hoster > join
A window pop with the list of player

- Hoster make the following : in the list of player, select the player > Invite
A window pop waiting for Client acknowledgment.

- Client make the following : in the list of player, double click the line in the chat box below the player list

Hoster invites you to a duel

> Accept

- Hoster make the following : Main menu > Duel > Duel Opponent > deck selection > Match Parameters
No Ante
Freeplay
Minimum deck size : 40
Unrestricted
> Send Parameters

- Client make the following : Duel > Duel Opponent > deck selection
2 buttons should pop : Agree or Disagree Parameters
> Accept

The game should begin and each player need to validate the game or mulligan in order to start playing every turn

Notes:
- As internet connection is a shared type and not a direct modem to computer I don't have your bug
- Sometimes after a game, trying to continue and play again will make the game send pack error and game will crash, so it's better to quit the game and start another

[Aswan jaguar]

Some errors I am getting in ML3 multiplayer:






I tried in Manalink2.0 and successfully played I could see all permanent unlike the ML3,so my ML3 is corrupted or missing something in compare to yours and can't see nothing but Lands also it messes "packages" and get such errors.

I tried to post some screenshots but upload attachment isn't loading them.

[stassy]

I am using 3.0 from Cirg mediafire storage and all patches after. Try to disable everything in config.txt too

[Aswan jaguar]

Finally I made ML.3 multiplayer work normally.I made a mess of the 2 installations and that was the cause that I couldn't see other permanent than Lands.

Edit- Fetchlands crash multiplayer.
The error happens when you choose the land to fetch.
Error= Was expecting a LIBRARY packet but got a SHOWLIST packet!

[Althuna]

Is there a way to bring back the multiplayer gem after you have closed it?

[stassy]

Simply quit and relaunch the game, if it doesn't you have to manually edit the windows registry to make it pop at every ML start

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MicroProse\Magic: The Gathering]
"Manalink"="on"

If you are unsure to fiddle into the registry you can use this file attached which will setup automatically the ML icon to autostart, just unzip and double click

[Althuna]

Thanks a lot! That worked great

[Zargon]

Ah, multiplayer magic (all-the-while accessing the additional cards); a long and unremembered dream, perhaps.

[Aswan jaguar]

I was intrigued to test a bit internet play.I can say that it "works" with different windows systems xp-pro on pc with windows 8.1 tablet that was thought in the past to cause trouble.

The biggest problem I encountered doing limited tests is searching the library which causes connection to desynchronise.It seems the cards are coded in a way that is not in order for internet play to work correctly so when it needs to send to opponent another package it sends the wrong one or something like that.(the error mentions that it was expecting a different package than the one it got although both are mentioned with the same number,which is peculiar).
Unfortunately as you know there are too many cards that search the library.

On the + is that Rules Engine card at least for cycling worked just fine one time that I used it!

I tried to use Meddling Mage and I was happy to see that it didn't cause the game to desynchronise or crash but the legacy that shows which card is not allowed was different for each player.I selected Time Spiral an opponent's card and that was exactly what the "opponent" could see on the legacy attached on my Meddling Mage but I saw on my Meddling Mage on the legacy named Wild Growth!Unfortunately game got desynchronised before I could test if Meddling Mage would stop "opponent" from casting Time Spiral.

EDIT: Korath you mentioned that you already know somethings that need to be done differently for cards to work for internet play.Could you please name them so that are widely known?